Subdivision

Contact a Planner at 780-968-8888 or subdivision@parklandcounty.com to see if subdivision may be possible. Have the legal address of the property and be prepared to discuss your application. Subdivision applications must have the signature(s) of all the registered owner(s).

The County subdivision fees depends on the number and types of lots being subdivided.  A subdivision application will have other costs including surveying, technical and engineering reporting and levies to be prepared for. Contact a Planner at 780-968-8888 or  subdivision@parklandcounty.com to review potential costs through a pre-consultation meeting.

Once a subdivision is deemed complete by the County, we have 60 days in which to issue a decision.  This decision will typically come with a list of tasks or “conditions” that must be completed by the landowner before the County can support the registration of the subdivision with land titles.  The landowner has up to one year to meet these conditions.  Once the conditions have been completed by the landowner, contact your surveyor to submit the final paperwork to the County for final review and signature (endorsement). This paperwork is sent back to the Surveyor for registration at land titles .  This process can take as little as three months or years depending on the application and how quickly the applicant can complete the required conditions.

The number of lots you can subdivide depends on the districting of the lands and the policies of the Municipal Development Plan, Area Structure Plan, Land Use Bylaw and Government of Alberta statues.

An Alberta Land Surveyor must:

• prepare a tentative plan to support the application, the tentative plan visually shows the subdivision proposal which provides the County with the required information to assess the subdivision application.  As this document provides special information, it MUST be prepared by an Alberta Land Surveyor.   
• survey the lands.
• provide  the final plan of survey to the County once the conditions of subdivision have been completed by the applicant. Once the County endorses the plan, the land surveyor submits it to Alberta Land Titles for registration. 

Parkland County does not endorse a particular Alberta Land Surveyor. The surveyor must be a current member of the Alberta Land Surveyors Association. Surveyor costs depend on the type and complexity of the plan.  A Tentative Plan MUST be prepared by an Alberta Land Surveyor, hand drawn plans can no longer be accepted. Costs vary for different survey companies it is recommended that you get quotes from different surveyors before making a decision.  Surveyors may also act as an agent on your behalf submitting and coordinating the application process.

The Municipal Government Act does not permit adjacent landowners to appeal an approved subdivision. After a subdivision application is accepted, a referral letter is sent to adjacent landowners and other affected agencies. They have the opportunity to submit comments to the County regarding the subdivision during the referral period outlined in this letter.

All existing private sewage disposal systems located on both the proposed and remnant lots prior to subdivision must comply with the provincially regulated setbacks and standards in the Private Sewage Disposal System Regulation. Alterations may include, but are not limited to, the relocation of a discharge line or replacement of a faulty septic tank or field or it may require the installation of a new sewage disposal system. A private sewage disposal system permit is required for alterations or new system installations. Parkland County does not endorse any particular installer. Contact a County Safety Codes Officer at 780-968-8888 with questions concerning private sewage disposal system standards.

All existing legal approaches that exist in the title property prior to subdivision must comply with Parkland County's Subdivision Development and Engineering Standards. Any new approaches that need to be built as a condition of subdivision must be completed prior to endorsement of the subdivision in accordance with the Subdivision Development and Engineering Design Standards. Please contact a Development Engineering Officer at 780-968-8888 with questions concerning approach standards. 

Municipal Reserves

Under Provincial Legislation, municipalities must take 10% of any lands to be subdivided as municipal reserves.  The intent of these reserves are to be used for public lands and facilities such as parks, schools, libraries, fire halls etc. 

Deferred Reserve Caveat

In the case of a rural setting it does not make sense for the municipality to require the dedication of physical land, in this case, a Deferred Reserve Caveat may be a condition of the subdivision.  This is a document registered against the title of one or both of the properties which identifies that the Municipal Reserves are owing but have not been physically given to the County.  The Deferred Reserve Caveat serves as a tracking document for municipal reserves and will be reviewed with each subdivision application and satisfies the subdivision condition.  When a Deferred Reserve Caveat has been registered it does not apply to a specific portion of a parcel of land, and the landowner has full use of the entire parcel of land.

Money-in-Place

In the rare case where it is identified that Municipal Reserves are owing in an amount smaller than 2 acres, the County may require the reserves to be provided as money-in-place, where the landowner is required to pay market value for the municipal reserves. 

Contact a Planner at 780-968-8888 with questions regarding potential reserve dedications.

• Subdivision development and engineering standards